Superfood for your Skin

Last week over at The Atticism we launched an incredible Australian skincare line, Bayeco, which uses superfoods to boost your skincare routine. I chatted to the founder, Christine, about why superfoods are essential for good skin! Christine is an experienced pharmacist who created Bayeco when she saw a gap for natural skincare that was based off scientific research.

Why is the clean eating trend is being transferred over to our beauty routine?

I think there is an awareness that there are more health problems now than ever before. Take for example the rise in allergies. In a 2013 report by the Australian society of clinical immunology, Allergy and immune diseases are among the fastest growing chronic condition in Australia. Almost 20% of the Australian population has an allergic disease and this prevalence is increasing.

As people become more aware of this, I think we search for ways to educate ourselves with the cause of this problem. Clean eating has certainly been a big factor in helping us improve our overall well being.

The skin is the largest organ in our body. It needs to be taken care of as we do with the rest our bodies. Applying clean eating foods to the skin is a natural extension of what we do for ourselves in helping us with our overall well being.

Why are superfood beauty ingredients so important?

Superfoods applied to the skin has the same effect as superfoods that we eat. Superfoods are high in antioxidants which has the ability to bind to free radicals. It removes these free radicals so it protects us from the pollution and the environment.

Recent research has given us new insights into the molecular biology of extrinsic aging of the skin. Not only does UV radiation directly cause photoaging of the skin, but also environmental pollutants significantly damage exposed skin. With this understanding that extrinsic factors age the skin, we realize the necessity of protecting our skin beyond using only sunscreen. With correctly formulated topical antioxidants skincare, we can prevent damage inflicted by both UV and environmental pollution.

Antioxidants in superfoods can come is several different forms, including vitamins A, C, E, plant derived polyphenols, found in colourful botanicals, fruits and vegetables. These compounds have the ability to neutralise harmful free radicals in our body.

Free radicals are unpaired electrons (electrons usually comes paired). When they are unpaired, they become highly reactive and can cause damage by attacking components in our cells and can even cause cancer.

Free radicals can come from our environment such as pollution, smoking, exposure to UV light or radiation. When applied topically, superfoods has the ability to protect our skin just as it does with the rest of our bodies and prevent skin ageing.

Ingredient spotlight: any superfood ingredients we should look out for in our products?

There are 2 key superfoods to look out for in Bayeco skincare, green tea and kakadu plum.

When we researched green tea, there were many studies published in medical journals regarding green tea and their uses in dermatology. There were thousands of studies published on green tea taken orally and showing its benefits too.

This is the reason why one of Bayeco’s key ingredient is green tea.

Green tea is rich in an antioxidant called catechins. This antioxidant has the ability to act as free radical scavengers thereby protecting the skin from the environment and pollution. Applying green tea to the skin has been shown to prevent skin ageing, improve skin texture and reduce the appearance of pigmentations and sun spots.

The second key ingredient that we use is Superox C extracted from Kakadu Plum.

Kakadu Plum is an Australian superfruit which has developed a unique antioxidant defence system for protection against extreme UV index of Northern Territory. It is known as the world’s richest source of Vitamin C.

Superox C has been shown to improve skin brightness by up to 30% in 30 days. Superox C also has the ability to boost collagen and hyaluronic acid production which results in firmer and plumper skin.

Together, these superfoods may improve the overall appearance of the skin by preventing skin ageing, improving skin texture and brightness and reducing the appearance of pigmentations.

How can we enhance skin and cellular health with food actives?

Enhancing the skin health has to be approached holistically. It has to be looked after both on the inside and outside.

Eating well such as adding colourful fruits and vegetables, nuts, foods rich in Omega 3 and keeping the body well hydrated during the day will help improve our overall appearance.

If we combine a well balanced diet with an effective skincare, you will notice a significant improvement in how your skin looks and also, in how you feel.

There are many synthetic ingredients that we need to avoid as more studies show the detrimental effects it has on us. Some examples of these ingredients are parabens, mineral oils and formaldehydes.

Natural skincare is excellent because you know that it doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals. But the problem with an all natural skincare is that it often excludes active ingredients that have been shown to be very effective on the skin. This means that it takes longer to show beneficial results.

There are many synthetic beauty ingredients that have been shown to be safe and effective to use.

Take for example a commonly known ingredient, Vitamin B3, niacinamide. Niacinamide is one of the best studied cosmeceutical ingredients for anti-ageing.

Niacinamide taken naturally from herbs or botanicals is not enough to cause a beneficial effect on the skin. The niacinamide we use in Bayeco is synthetic and has proven to work effectively.

This ingredient is an all rounder. It reduces fine lines and wrinkles, decreases redness, decreases skin hyperpigmentation and improves skin elasticity.

I think skincare needs to be largely natural. It needs to have a natural base with no harmful chemicals such as parabens, mineral oils and formaldehydes. Then layer this natural base with plenty of antioxidants found in superfoods and botanicals. Lastly, look for ingredients that have been proven to be safe and effective and add this to the skincare formula. This will give your skin the best chance to look beautiful and also be confident that you are not adding any harmful chemicals.